The Fearsome Face of a Tyrannosaur

With its dagger teeth and formidable frame, the Tyrannosaurus rex was a most frightening beast. Yet the dinosaur’s looks remain a bit of a mystery.

Now, after studying the well-preserved fossil of a newly discovered relative, paleontologists say the predator’s fearsome face is coming into view.

The dinosaur family had no lips, and faces covered with small patches of armored skin and large, flat scales. Behind the eyes on each side of the head was a large horn. The snouts and jaws were most likely laced with nerves that made the tyrannosaur’s skin sensitive.